Management consultants can play very useful roles in the strategic planning proc ess of a company.

Consultants render services in different functional areas of m anagement including the strategic planning and management process. In companies with no separate planning division or unit, consultants can fill that gap. They can undertake planning and strategy exercises as and when the company management feels the need for such exercises or consultancies. Even in companies with a co rporate planning division/unit, consultants may provide specialized inputs or in sights into identified management or strategy areas. Top strategic consultants l ike McKinsey & Company use or develop latest tools, techniques or models to work out solutions to specific strategic management problems or issues be it productiv ity, cost efficiency, restructuring, long-term growth or diversification. Consul tants bring with them diversified skills (most of the consulting companies are m ultidisciplinary) and experience from various companies which may not be availab le internally in a single company. This is the reason why even large multination al companies hire consultants for achieving their goals or objectives. There are many international consultants who are in demand in different countrie s. There are also national consultants. Leading international consultants, in ad dition to McKinsey & Company, are Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Arthur D Little and Accenture (formerly Anderson Consulting). Prominent Indian consulting compa nies are A F Ferguson, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and ABC Consultants. Consultants, sometimes have a difficult or delicate role to play. In many compan ies, a situation develops when the chief executive or the top management needs t o bank upon the support of an external agency like a consultant to push through a strategic change in the organizational structure or management system of the c ompany. It may be for growth and development or downsizing. In both cases, many companies face internal resistance to change. The resistance is more if it is do wnsizing even when it is required for turning around a company. This happens par ticularly in public sector companies where implementing change is always difficu lt. Consultants are engaged to support or substantiate the company s point of view (in the form of their recommendations) so that change is more easily acceptable to the internal stakeholders of the company. Consultants role may become delicate and, sometimes, tricky in such cases, and th ey should carefully weigh the ethical implication of their participation. Manage ment consultants can play very useful roles in the strategic planning process of a company. Consultants render services in different functional areas of managem ent including the strategic planning and management process. In companies with n o separate planning division or unit, consultants can fill that gap. They can un dertake planning and strategy exercises as and when the company management feels the need for such exercises or consultancies. Even in companies with a corporat e planning division/unit, consultants may provide specialized inputs or insights into identified management or strategy areas. Top strategic consultants like Mc Kinsey & Company use or develop latest tools, techniques or models to work out s olutions to specific strategic management problems or issues be it productivity, c ost efficiency, restructuring, long-term growth or diversification. Consultants bring with them diversified skills (most of the consulting companies are multidi sciplinary) and experience from various companies which may not be available int ernally in a single company. This is the reason why even large multinational com panies hire consultants for achieving their goals or objectives. There are many international consultants who are in demand in different countrie s. There are also national consultants. Leading international consultants, in ad dition to McKinsey & Company, are Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Arthur D Little and Accenture (formerly Anderson Consulting). Prominent Indian consulting compa nies are A F Ferguson, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and ABC Consultants. Consultants, sometimes have a difficult or delicate role to play. In many compan ies, a situation develops when the chief executive or the top management needs t

o bank upon the support of an external agency like a consultant to push through a strategic change in the organizational structure or management system of the c ompany. It may be for growth and development or downsizing. In both cases, many companies face internal resistance to change. The resistance is more if it is do wnsizing even when it is required for turning around a company. This happens par ticularly in public sector companies where implementing change is always difficu lt. Consultants are engaged to support or substantiate the company s point of view (in the form of their recommendations) so that change is more easily acceptable to the internal stakeholders of the company. Consultants role may become delicate and, sometimes, tricky in such cases, and th ey should carefully weigh the ethical implication of their participation.